If ever there was an accommodation that should have “hotel” in the title it is the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, owned and operated by the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, the nonprofit that runs the world-famous Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
When looking at overnight accommodations at the Zoo for our recent visit, we were initially confused thinking that the Wildlife Retreat is a “glamping experience” akin to an air-controlled bedroom with a bath built on a wooden platform with a canvas tent. While there is a Roar and Snore glamping option at the Zoo, the Wildlife Retreat is a stunning first-class, $45 million eco-luxe hotel. Purpose-built within the zoo grounds, this is an immersive wildlife experience unrivaled by overnight accommodations in any similar urban setting.
Spend one night at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, and you will be talking about it the rest of your life.
Do you want more adventures you’ll be talking about for the rest of your life? Subscribe to our newsletter now!
Built on Top of the Zoo
Geography worked to the advantage of the designers of the Wildlife Retreat which sits atop a steep hill within the Zoo’s grounds and opened just before Covid in 2019. The 62 rooms and suites are built across five “lodges” – think of a series of connected wings of a hotel. At their height, most rooms have an amazing view of the wildlife, flora and fauna or the Sydney Harbor.
The retreat’s design prioritizes environmental sensitivity and sustainability. The “lodges” rely on timber for floors and walls, reducing the carbon footprint. Native planted ‘green screens’ cover the northern facades and roofs, camouflaging the buildings while preserving harbor views.
Read More: First Timer’s Guide to the Best Things to Do in Sydney
Lobby for Animal Lovers
As visitors walk into the main entrance, they are likely to stop and stare and catch their breath. The panoramic view of downtown Sydney in the distance is breathtaking.
The large, luxurious circular room called the Nest has floor-to-ceiling windows framing uninterrupted city and harbor views. A striking feature is the circular roof skylight, designed as an Insulated Glass Unit to reduce solar heat gain and glare while improving energy efficiency.
The Nest is where guests check in, meet for tours and have a drink or light snack from 1pm onward at N’Gurra Lounge.
The Sanctuary
The most unique aspect of a stay at the Wildlife Retreat is the immersive experience for hotel guests only in the purpose-built Sanctuary. All hotel packages include a guided Sanctuary tour to encounter unique Australian animals such as tammar wallabies, red-necked pademelons, long-nosed potoroos, red kangaroos, short-beaked echidnas, koalas and short-finned eels who inhabit the waterways.
Once inside the Sanctuary there are no walls or barriers between visitors and the animals. The echidnas (see photo above) are particularly interested in humans and their smells. This is not a petting zoo. Visitors are encouraged to take photos and stand quietly as animals wander by them.
The Sanctuary is also home to several koalas that can be observed from the pathways or potentially from the Wildlife Retreat rooms.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Plan to check in as early as possible to take the Sanctuary tour which is only offered in the afternoon. Then visit the Zoo later that day or the next morning.
Take the Early Morning Zoo Tour
Depending on the overnight stay package, visitors are offered a chance to join a Zoo guide for a short tour of the Zoo before it opens. The Wildlife Retreat has a special entrance to the zoo near the main entrance. Guides head immediately to Nura Diya Australia (meaning “this country” in the Aboriginal language), the very popular and newly redone area focused on Australia’s favorite animals. From an elevated boardwalk, see koalas at eye level. Walk through an area without fences where kangaroos, wallabies and emus wander freely.
Pick Your View with the Room
The four room types:
- Bushland Rooms overlooking Australian bushland setting,
- Animal View Rooms where it’s possible to see a koala in the tree directly across from your balcony,
- Harbour View Rooms with iconic Sydney vistas, and
- Treetop Suites with panoramic harbor views.
For us, the first option was the Animal View Rooms in the imagined hope that a koala might join us on the balcony (that can’t happen). There are plenty of special views of Sydney from inside the main reception room, dining area and all along the paths of the zoo.
The rooms have free Wifi, flat-screen TVs, minibar, electric kettle, tea and coffee makers, hairdryers, iron and ironing board and walk-in showers.
Each stay includes breakfast in Me-Gal; passes for two days to the Taronga Zoo and a Sanctuary Tour. Packages include the Ultimate Retreat Package with a three-course dinner at Me-Gal, a Classic Retreat Package and a Family Escape Package which includes a guided Family Night Walk.
Even with a favorable exchange rate, the rooms are very expensive with standard room rates starting between $450 and $800 a night depending on the season. Wildlife Retreat rooms are often sold out during Australian school holidays.
There is no fitness center or swimming pool.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Splurge for one night at this extraordinary hotel. As the front desk staff reminded visitors, any profits from hotel operations go directly to the Zoo.
Dining with Yet Another Amazing View
At the highest point of the resort, Me-Gal restaurant “tops” the resort’s array of views. Me-Gal, is named after the Cammeraygal word for ‘tears’ and evokes the saltwater surrounding the restaurant’s location. Dinner is served nightly for hotel guests. Outside reservations are also available. Breakfast is a la carte with a hot and cold buffet, local jams and pastries.
The Basics
The main entrance to the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga is located at Bradleys Head Road in the Mosman section of Sydney, built within the grounds of the Taronga Zoo. Although there is access from the hotel directly to the Taronga Zoo, hotel guests should use the driveway and entrance off of Bradleys Head Road, farther south than the main entrance to the zoo.
Check is in at 2pm. Check out is at 10am.
The address is:
Wildlife Retreat at Taronga,
Bradleys Head Road
Sydney NSW 2088
(02)9978-4791
accommodation@zoo.nsw.gov.au
For those who haven’t rented a car, the easiest way to reach the Wildlife Retreat is via taxi. It is also possible to take the Taronga Zoo ferry from the Circular Quay and then take the free shuttle uphill to the main entrance. However, the last ferry ends in early evening, so for an evening check-in or an early morning check out, take a taxi. For drivers, free parking is offered at the Main Visitor Car Park.
Leave a Reply